http://www.thewest.com.au/20031230/sport/soccer/tw-sport-soccer-home-sto117702.html
Milicevic back to lead Athens challenge
By Jonathan Cook
A SQUAD with a strong WA flavour will start assembling in Perth on Saturday for tomorrow week's Australia under-23 challenge match against South Korea at Members Equity Stadium.
Frank Farina's 20-man selection, which kicks off qualifying for the Olympic Games on January 14 in Sydney, will be captained by former Perth Glory defender Ljubo Milicevic and contains five other players with WA connections.
Glory players Anthony Danze, Jade North and Wayne Srhoj, WA's West Ham United attacker Richard Garcia and former Glory defender David Tarka, who now plays for Nottingham Forest, are also in the squad.
Milicevic, who has been a regular fixture at Swiss club FC Thun this season, had more reason than most to look forward to the match before the qualifiers against South Korea at the former Perth Oval.
He made 29 appearances for the Glory, most played at the East Perth ground, before leaving for Switzerland in 2001.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic," he said yesterday. "I can't wait to come back to Perth and play in front of those loyal fans again."
But WA-born goalkeeper Brad Jones made himself unavailable after being recalled by his club Middlesbrough from a loan spell at Blackpool.
The English Premier League team needed Jones as backup to Socceroos keeper Mark Schwarzer because Boro No. 2 Carlo Nash is struggling with a hand injury. Hearts defender Patrick Kisnorbo also ruled himself out of contention for the qualifiers.
Farina would not comment on the chances of either player being included for the Olympics if Australia qualified for Athens. "Too many things can happen from now until Athens - if we do qualify. It's not something I'm even looking at the moment," he said.
But the coach did not hide his disappointment at losing two players who were serious contenders for starting berths.
"I honestly believe that they were possibly ill-advised by their management, but that's their choice," Farina said.
The match against a South Korean outfit preparing for its Olympic qualifiers in March will be the first international in Perth since Australia's under-23s played against Brazil at the WACA Ground in 1998.
At that time, a young Brett Emerton, now playing for Blackburn Rovers in England's Premier League, starred for an Australian team in the early stages of its preparation for Sydney 2000.
But the current under-23 set-up is much closer to being a finished product, with the Olympics just eight months away. Farina has drawn on nine overseas-based players and 11 from the National Soccer League for Australia's Oceania qualifiers.
Milicevic back to lead Athens challenge
By Jonathan Cook
A SQUAD with a strong WA flavour will start assembling in Perth on Saturday for tomorrow week's Australia under-23 challenge match against South Korea at Members Equity Stadium.
Frank Farina's 20-man selection, which kicks off qualifying for the Olympic Games on January 14 in Sydney, will be captained by former Perth Glory defender Ljubo Milicevic and contains five other players with WA connections.
Glory players Anthony Danze, Jade North and Wayne Srhoj, WA's West Ham United attacker Richard Garcia and former Glory defender David Tarka, who now plays for Nottingham Forest, are also in the squad.
Milicevic, who has been a regular fixture at Swiss club FC Thun this season, had more reason than most to look forward to the match before the qualifiers against South Korea at the former Perth Oval.
He made 29 appearances for the Glory, most played at the East Perth ground, before leaving for Switzerland in 2001.
"I'm absolutely ecstatic," he said yesterday. "I can't wait to come back to Perth and play in front of those loyal fans again."
But WA-born goalkeeper Brad Jones made himself unavailable after being recalled by his club Middlesbrough from a loan spell at Blackpool.
The English Premier League team needed Jones as backup to Socceroos keeper Mark Schwarzer because Boro No. 2 Carlo Nash is struggling with a hand injury. Hearts defender Patrick Kisnorbo also ruled himself out of contention for the qualifiers.
Farina would not comment on the chances of either player being included for the Olympics if Australia qualified for Athens. "Too many things can happen from now until Athens - if we do qualify. It's not something I'm even looking at the moment," he said.
But the coach did not hide his disappointment at losing two players who were serious contenders for starting berths.
"I honestly believe that they were possibly ill-advised by their management, but that's their choice," Farina said.
The match against a South Korean outfit preparing for its Olympic qualifiers in March will be the first international in Perth since Australia's under-23s played against Brazil at the WACA Ground in 1998.
At that time, a young Brett Emerton, now playing for Blackburn Rovers in England's Premier League, starred for an Australian team in the early stages of its preparation for Sydney 2000.
But the current under-23 set-up is much closer to being a finished product, with the Olympics just eight months away. Farina has drawn on nine overseas-based players and 11 from the National Soccer League for Australia's Oceania qualifiers.
